Star Philippine cardinal incites talk of Asian pope

WALLFLOWER:Friends of Cardinal Tagle say he likes to be in the background, but his dynamic preaching has Vatican officials saying the Filipino is ‘the man’

AP, IMUS, The Philippines

Tagle was ordained in 1982 and became bishop in 2001 at an old cathedral about a block from his family home in Imus, south of Manila.

Aside from his church work, he taught theology in a hilltop seminary, where he lived for about two decades, staying in a room that had no television or air-conditioning, seminary staffers said.

Even as a bishop, Tagle did not own a car. He took the bus to church and elsewhere. He ate with workers and sang for a church charity, impressing many with his baritone voice.

Tagle stood out for his powerful homilies. A few years ago, he started hosting a Sunday gospel show on TV where he preached and answered questions. Staffers then made him a Facebook page, which has more than 120,000 followers.